Pentagram gives university a starry-eyed logo

As one of the leading private urban colleges in the US, Oklahoma City University needed branding that not only showcased its affiliation with the United Methodist Church but also its huge array of courses in the liberal arts, fine arts, science and business.

Partner DJ Stout and designer Carla Delgado in the Austin office of renowned design agency Pentagram were given the task of creating a whole new look for the institution. The star identity they came up with was inspired by OCU’s sports teams, who are known as 'The Stars' after the university's Gold Star Tower, as well as its graduated 'stars of the stage', which include the Tony Award-winning Kristin Chenoweth.

“The rebranding committee we assembled told me that the student body was made up of overachievers,” says Stout. “That led us to the notion of the rising star logo and to the simple tagline 'Rise' to replace the more limiting 'Where you’re a name, not a number' tagline."

The identity will be used for banners, T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise as well as posters, marketing and advertising.

See more of the branding as well as the old logo over on the Pentagram website.

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What do you think of the new branding? Better than the old? Let us know in the comments box below!